Introduction
REIVR is an Irish MedTech company focused on improving operational efficiency in healthcare settings. Their flagship solution, FusionBoard, utilises real-time location technology to help clinical teams and biomedical engineers quickly locate, track, and manage essential hospital equipment. With a focus on automation and user-friendly interfaces, REIVR is constantly exploring new ways of enhancing and ultimately simplifying their customer experience.
REIVR identified the need for a more scalable sales development strategy and as a result wanted to build a scalable prospecting and customer qualification tool which would make the initial customer engagement experience more positive. It had already simplified the system solution so that its solution could be designed and deployed easily without expert interaction, but it lacked the necessary sales infrastructure/resources to support this new approach.
Challenges
As part of their engagement with CeADAR’s European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH) for AI, REIVR completed a Digital Maturity Assessment. REIVR’s digital maturity level was 35% at the start of their engagement with CeADAR EDIH for AI.
The DMA process identified opportunities from AI guided ‘customer prospecting’ solutions to strengthen their customer-facing processes using conversational AI, particularly in the area of needs analysis and cost assessment.
REIVR’s sales and customer support processes created a large manual overhead for the company, with substantial admin time being dedicated to qualifying customer requirements and calculating associated project costs. This time-consuming approach caused significant delay, which in turn limited the company’s scalability. The challenge was to automate this process using conversational AI, without compromising the accuracy of quotes or the professionalism of the customer experience.
Solutions Implemented
From the potential AI-led initiatives, REIVR selected the development of a Customer Quotation ChatBot as a high-impact area for proof of concept and prototype testing. The chosen project combined automated customer needs assessment and cost estimation for planning purposes, using a conversational interface. CeADAR developed a bespoke prototype for REIVR consisting of:
A Web-Based Chat Interface
Styled to reflect REIVR branding, the interface requires no login and allows customers to seamlessly interact via text, in a natural, conversational format
Conversational AI Engine
Integrated via webhook, the chatbot uses an automation workflow and AI agents to process queries, conduct dynamic calculations, and validate responses. Bot language and response logic were co-developed with REIVR to reflect real-world quotation requirements. The Bot avoids requests for company information until after some benefit has been delivered, thereby building trust with the user. It also provides guidance and video supports to assist the prospect with self-assessment of needs
Quotation Logic & Data Processing
A predefined REIVR calculator engine generates indicative quotes based on customer inputs. Data is stored securely in the cloud, with strict separation of personal and hospital-related data.
Session Management & Privacy
As the customer progresses through the needs assessment process they may be asked for information which is not to hand. They are offered the option to save and return to the process later. Users receive a pin code to resume prior sessions. The data handling architecture was designed to be compliant with GDPR.
Testing & Validation
Both parties carried out rigorous testing, simulating customer interactions, edge cases, and quote validation. Default fallback responses were defined to ensure robustness.
Results and Benefits
The Customer Quotation prototype ChatBot delivered key benefits for REIVR by:
- Automating, first-encounter experience, in a professional and friendly manner
- Reducing time and effort required to generate indicative quotations
- Enabling consistent, automated interactions with prospective clients
- Establishing a technical foundation for future integration into REIVR’s public website
Following the completion of a successful Proof of Concept and Prototype testing phase, REIVR then collaborated with CeADAR EDIH for AI to integrate the ChatBot into their website.
In future REIVR could also explore:
- Expanded calculator logic to support additional customer segments or pricing models
- Further use of conversational AI to automate follow-up communications and onboarding
- Use AI to support the offering of video tools for system design and setup during commissioning
Services Provided
CeADAR’s fully funded EDIH for AI Test Before Invest service provided REIVR with access to AI advisory expertise, proof of concept scoping and prototyping support. CeADAR’s EDIH for AI collaborative approach ensured REIVR’s needs were reflected in every phase, from design and testing through to documentation and knowledge transfer.